Grabbed this shot on my way north out of Boston last evening...this is located in the city along Interstate 93...

Stephen

All glory is fleeting.

Why don't they just pave the right of way and drive buses up it?

Shush!!!!!!
Don't be giving them any ideas.................................

There already is a road to the top, and buses (well vans) already on it http://www.mountwashingtonautoroad.com/Page-25.html

There is really not much to set the cog railway apart from other ways up the hill, except perhaps the ability to "look around" Maybe they need a version of the D&SNG's Silver Vista--a dome for the Cog..........

I rather suspect that there will be a long slow decline of the operation. Also would not be surprised to see the current diesels set up for remote "belt pack" operation.

Ah well.

Michael Seitz
Missoula MT

Without the thrill of being pushed up the mountain by a seemingly rickety old contraption, they've all but extinguished a major reason why people have kept coming back.
It does seem rather ironic -NS unveils a new steam program (very good PR)...while the Cog Ry advertises diesels pushing their trains up Mt Washington...

Stephen

It will be interesting to see what happens to the operation.

I love steam, and consider this to be a great loss. However, I wonder how the general public feels about the whole thing. Consider it from a tourist's point of view. You're still in an old (or old looking) wooden coach, being push up a rickety (looking) track, much of it on trestles, by a tiny little engine. The only difference is that they finally found a way to get rid of all that smoke!

I hope I'm wrong, and I hope the general public complains long and loud about the loss of the historic steam, but judging by past experience, I'm guessing many won't notice.

My offer of CD,s with pictures of the proper cog locos on it still stands for any one who emails me.

From a purely economic and product marketing standpoint, the diesels are probably going to be a winner for The Cog. The trains now have 2 crewmembers vs. 3. They get to the summit in 40 minutes vs. an hour and 10 minutes. The diesels have all manner of safety features that the steamers don't. The patrons get extra time on the summit vs. 20 minutes with steam. The diesel burns about 18 gallons of B20 vs. a ton of coal and there is no need for water stops or infrastructure to support such stops. And as you mention, the ride is no longer filthy....something to be considered when families are deciding what to do on their vacations....and MOM has something to say about it.

OBTW, the "cost-effective" diesel hasn't reduced the price of the ride. In fact, it's recently gone from $59 to $62 per head.


I guess it all depends upon what the customer is looking for. If the customer wants to see history in action, they are likely to be disappointed. If the customer just wants to get to the top without beating up their car, they might actually like the diesels better than the steamers.

I'm a history buff, and running just one steam trip per day, The Cog no longer has much to offer me. Unfortunately, I think I'm in the minority. Sadly, the younger generations seem to have lost interest in history.

I guess that also sheds some light on the question. If the public was clamoring for steam, and that one trip per day was selling out every day, I suspect they'd add more trips. Since that doesn't appear to be happening, it would seem that the general public is satisfied with a glorified bus ride.

Seems like it may be time to open a discussion of rebuilding the Green Mountain Cog Railway. Mt. Desert Island may be too tony now but .....

WOW! That's a great shot! Barstools for $49.00!?
Oh, were you referring to the diesel!?